Review: What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

What I Didn't Say 
Keary Taylor
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: April 30, 2012

Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat. 
His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.
When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

Despite the content and the topic of this book, it wasn't a real emotional read. Sure, it had it's moments, but there wasn't any real tear-jerking or emotion-provoking moments. It was mostly just a cute novel and love story. 

Jake was an overall sweetheart. He's had to recover from the tragedy of losing his voice. He has been to scared to tell Sam that he's loved her for years. After he loses his voice, he will never have the chance now. Jake goes through numerous tests throughout the book, and not just losing his voice. His loyalty, love, and character are tested. In the end, I really enjoyed watching Jake grow. 

This book had an interesting cast of characters. There were quite a few (Jake has several siblings) and they brought many a laugh throughout the novel. Sam... wasn't my favorite. I grew to like her but there were a few hiccups along the way. I also really enjoyed Jake's friends. They were the ones who brought up most the laughs. And one of my favorite characters was Jake's sister, Jordan. She was sweet and loyal to Jake. 

The theme of this book is pretty obvious. It all but states it (actually, I think it does state it once or twice). No matter how bad things are, they can always be worse. It's what you do in those situations that matter. 

One thing that bothered me about this book was the errors. I found several grammar and spelling errors while reading this book. There weren't enough to take away from the story or to make me hate this book or anything, but they did get on my nerves. 

Overall, this a quick and entertaining read. I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, but it was still enjoyable.